The Marlins announced that five players have been completely deactivated from the 40-man roster. they are right handed Jesus Tinoco, Tyler Zuber, Valente Bellozzo and Freddy Tarnockand the catcher Brian Navarreto.
There had been no previous indication that the Marlins had designated these players for assignment or placed them on waivers. However, this time of year, a clearing out like this is expected. Five days after the World Series, the 60-day injured list will expire, meaning multiple players will need to re-enter the 40-man roster. The Marlins opened up space with these five moves. they also lost Troy Johnston to the Rocky Mountains and George Soriano Filed today via waiver claim against the Orioles.
Tinoco, who turned 31 in April, seemed to have a breakout year with the Marlins last year. He played 40 2/3 innings for the team, with a 3.32 ERA, a 25.9% strikeout rate, a 7.4% walk rate, and a 46.7% ground ball rate.
However, he won’t be able to continue this form into 2025. He made 20 appearances, lost velocity, dropped his strikeout rate and had a 5.12 ERA, but was placed on the disabled list in June with a forearm strain. He underwent flexor surgery in August and is expected to miss most of the 2026 season. The Fish could have kept him through the winter and placed him on the 60-day injured list in spring training, but now he’s been bumped off the roster.
He has been overpowered before in his career and is entitled to free agency. Presumably, he will do so. Given the timing of his injury, he likely won’t be interested until he’s made more progress in his recovery.
Zuber, who turned 31 in June, was claimed off waivers by the Mets in July. Shortly after, he landed at Illinois with a lat strain, where he ended the season. He played 64 2/3 innings in the majors, posting a 6.26 ERA, a 24.7% strikeout rate, and a 15.2% walk rate. His current health status is unknown, but he has no choice and even if he is healthy, it will be difficult to keep his spot on the roster. He has had a career before and is entitled to free agency.
Bellozo, 26 in January, has been a swingman for the Marlins in recent years. Since the start of 2024, he has made 45 appearances, including 19 starts, and logged 150 innings. His 15.2% strikeout rate is pretty low, but his 4.20 ERA isn’t bad either. That seems to be thanks to a lucky .267 batting average and 79.6 percent batting average. His 5.44 FIP and 5.08 SIERA suggest he will have a hard time sustaining that ERA. He doesn’t have a full career or three years of service time before him, but should be eligible for seven years of minor league free agency.
Tarnock, who turns 27 this month, signed a minor league contract with the Fish last offseason. He was added to the roster in June but remained mostly in the minor leagues, appearing in just five major league games. He pitched 68 2/3 Triple-A innings this year and had a 3.28 ERA. His strikeout rate was good at 26.3%, but he walked 11.2% of the batters he faced. He has had a full career before and is eligible for free agency.
In December, Navarreto, 31, signed a minor league contract with the Fish this year. He was added to the roster in September, giving them a third receiver, along with Augustin Ramirez and Liam Hicks. He posted a strong .286/.267/.643 line in a small sample size of 15 games. His results in Triple-A were a tepid .229/.301/.392 line. He has had a career before and is entitled to free agency.
Photos by Jim Rassol, Imagn Images
